Field of the Invention: This invention relates generally to information processing systems, and more particularly to a system architecture and organizational method which facilitates the routing of optically encoded signals to and from selected portions of such a system. This invention also relates generally to information-processing systems having inherent topological similarities to neurological architectures.
Another aspect of the prior art concerns the well-known mathematical properties of spheres, parabolas, and hyperboloids. For instance, it is well known that a spherical reflector (i.e., a spherical body having an internal light-reflecting surface) will reflect light emanating from its center back to that center regardless of the direction that the light is transmitted. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,470 (Mooney), U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,313 (Litterst); U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,739 (Yoshikawa et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,773 (Matsumi); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,275 (Louderback). Similarly, the mathematical properties of parabolic reflectors are well known.
Information processing systems that incorporate or use optical signal processing often include a variety of optical signal-processing components, use of fiber optics for routing signals from one point to another, methods for converting optical signals into electronic signals and vice versa, and optical means (e.g., mirrors) for changing the direction of light beams. The problem addressed by the current disclosure is system architecture. Bus structures and other standard system architectures are essential to the development of useful electronic computer systems. Due to the nature of optical signals and fiber optic carriers, the use of such bus structures to convey optically encoded signals is cumbersome. Thus there is a need for a different method or architecture for routing optically encoded signals from one part of an information processor to another. The present invention provides such an architecture.
This disclosure provides solutions to several prior limitations. The prior art has physical limitations for routing signals carried on the same frequency of light concurrently in different parts of the system during the same time period without node-to-node crosstalk and a dramatically increased number of wires or fibers needed to interconnect elements of a parallel processing system. This has resulted in significant technical limitations for applications of such systems.
Thus there has existed a long-felt need for an improved information-processing system architecture using an optical signal routing system.